Silverstone is a great company.
The only two better companies out there are Zippy (very hard to find these) and PC Power and Cooling.

By the way why do you need a 1000W PSU?
Seems like overkill since an 8800Ultra SLI system with the most powerful CPU w/ the works will not require 1000Watts.
I would recommend an 750W or 800.
That will power anything as well and save you some money.

This is a totally awesome Idea, but keeping it updated is going to totally suck for one person to do. Perhaps the thread should be replicated in the TPU wiki, so that any member can edit the hardware as they see fit in the light of new technological advances

Then, that way, if there are major edits to the wiki it can be copied and pasted from the wiki into the first post to update the hardware AND if someone screws with the wiki by spamming the article you could just revert the article . Keep the thread alive though, the wiki doesnt get accessed often...

This is a totally awesome Idea, but keeping it updated is going to totally suck for one person to do. Perhaps the thread should be replicated in the TPU wiki, so that any member can edit the hardware as they see fit in the light of new technological advances

Then, that way, if there are major edits to the wiki it can be copied and pasted from the wiki into the first post to update the hardware AND if someone screws with the wiki by spamming the article you could just revert the article . Keep the thread alive though, the wiki doesnt get accessed often...

Good work

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THanks guys.
I figured it would be very helpful.
Now I just gotta get people to see it more

Yes Ex I was thinking of doing that, however, I dont want to put it in the Wiki until I finish the rest of the sections.
Just to note, I already updated the new ATI card in the GPU section.

The sections that will only really change drastically are the GPU, CPU, Mobo and Builds sections.
So it shouldnt be as bad as people think since many of the other sections dont change very often

Discuss the different sizes. ATX, mATX, uATX, etc. Mention how important it is to match chips to sockets. There are AMD boards and Intel boards. I don't know how in-depth you want to go, whether you want to discuss the different parts of a motherboard. Northbridge, chipset, socket, RAM slots, I/O, all that stuff.

There are definitely some brands to try to avoid and ones to consider, although all makers have good and bad. Not all boards OC well. Some are reasonable OCers, and some offer rock-solid stable overclocking goodness.

Usually, good boards come from Abit, ASUS, EVGA, MSI, DFI, ASRock, etc., and usually Foxconn, and maybe Gigabyte, maybe Biostar. I don't know much about Elitegroup or other brands.

There are two ways to select a motherboard. Either you start with it, or you're matching it to components you already have or know you want to get. Whichever path you take, here is some basic information to help you.

You start out at a fork in the road. Intel or AMD? From there you determine the socket type. Right now, AMD's Sockets 939 and AM2 are very popular, as is Intel's LGA775. If you're fairly fresh to the guts of a computer, you'll probably be swimming in a big puddle of socket goo. Don't worry. The most important thing at this point is to make sure the motherboard supports the CPU, or vice versa. If you're browsing online retailers, the socket type should be easy to identify on both components.

The next step revolve around the size of the motherboard:

Common Motherboard Form Factors
-ATX
-mATX
-BTX
-mBTX

For more information, check out motherboard form factors on Wikipedia.

At this point, you want to make sure your motherboard is supported by the case you want or will use. Most ATX cases will also have screw mounts for mATX boards. Some will just be riddled with screw mounts to support more than the ATX form factor.

If you don't know much about motherboards, browse the many boards on sites such as Newegg and look at the pictures. Most have labels for the different parts commonly found on motherboards. These include RAM slots (DIMMs), SATA and IDE ports, AGP and PCI/PCI-E slots, etc. You could also factor in RAID support.

Depending on your budget and/or needs, a video card may be desired. If you plan to buy one, you'll save time by looking only at motherboards without onboard/integrated video. If your budget's tight, and your gaming is non-existent or as extensive as Solitaire and maybe a fancy screensaver, onboard video is perfect for you.

Aside from a good power supply, the (aptly named) motherboard is the center and easily the most important component in a system. This is so because it facilitates everything connected to it.

Regarding overclocking, if you plan to OC, you'll want to make sure the board you have your eye(s) on is good for it. Some boards flat-out suck. Some boards are okay, but probably won't push your CPU/RAM very much before becoming unstable. Some boards are rock-solid for overclocking. The best way to determine is to Google the board and/or hop onto a good forum and ask around. You'll want more than just the reviews on retailer sites.

Overclocking (OCing) can apply to your CPU, RAM, and graphics port(s). This basically means changing the voltage the motherboard applies to these components. People most commonly overclock their CPU. Many also overclock their RAM to achieve better timings. I do not recommend overclocking graphics ports. Doing so carries the most risk. Do so only if you're an expert, filthy rich, a computer/electric/mechanical engineering student, or it's on old, cheap components.

Overclocking doesn't appeal to everyone. Don't brush off a motherboard because it has bad reviews. Sometimes the bad reviews are regarding its ability to overclock. If you don't plan to OC, chances are it's still a good board to run your components at stock speeds.

The following list is in no particular order, and all brands are going to have sub par and great boards. Don't blindly buy a motherboard. Definitely do your research (like you should for everything).

Go-to Motherboard Brands
-Abit
-ASUS
-EVGA
-MSI
-DFI
-ASrock

Usually you also can expect good things from Gigabyte and Foxconn, and maybe Biostar. There's also Elitegroup, but I don't know much about them.

I know I'm leaving out a bunch of stuff. I'm at work, and now I gotta do some work. Should give you a good start though.

Hi again, sorry about another question, i know your probably sick of me by now

I just wanted to know, i decided to go with the G.Skill (Black Heatspreaders) after long thought, and i'm sure i read somewhere they only work with Intel, is this true, because im on AMD till my next upgrade, so would like to know.

Also do you know a good place to get them in the UK, since i live in the UK and it seems like Newegg dont ship to UK.

Hi again, sorry about another question, i know your probably sick of me by now

I just wanted to know, i decided to go with the G.Skill (Black Heatspreaders) after long thought, and i'm sure i read somewhere they only work with Intel, is this true, because im on AMD till my next upgrade, so would like to know.

Also do you know a good place to get them in the UK, since i live in the UK and it seems like Newegg dont ship to UK.

Thanks!!

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Hey no problem.
I love helping out you guys.
I actually havent posted in a few days, but I figure I would break that trend with you today

8800 gts or gtx ( i cant decide because of the huge diffrence in heat, would like to know your opionion if possible )

Antec 900 case

the g.skill (black heatspreaders)

But the only thing i dont know what to get is a motherboard!! i hope that one is ok, cause i cant really aford to spend a fortune on a motherboard hence i'm already spending alot (considering i havet to buy from UK sites) and cant use newegg which almost doubles in price !

But if it means having a much longer lasting and better performance motherboard for some more i'd rather save for that

8800 gts or gtx ( i cant decide because of the huge diffrence in heat, would like to know your opionion if possible )

Antec 900 case

the g.skill (black heatspreaders)

But the only thing i dont know what to get is a motherboard!! i hope that one is ok, cause i cant really aford to spend a fortune on a motherboard hence i'm already spending alot (considering i havet to buy from UK sites) and cant use newegg which almost doubles in price !

But if it means having a much longer lasting and better performance motherboard for some more i'd rather save for that

Thanks Alot!!!

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Not a bad mobo.
You might want to also look at the Gigabyte DS3 mobo.
They arent that expensive and pack a good punch.
I have heard a lot of good things about them